New Delhi, Oct. 17 -- After Left Front leaders alleged attacks and vandalism at their bookstalls, senior BJP leader and state minister Arjun Singh accused the Left of creating "dimagi naxals", while Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh condemned the attacks.
"While we have ideological differences with the CPI(M) and stand on opposite political ends, political opposition should remain political and not extend to targeting their book stalls during Puja. These stalls feature a variety of good literature beyond just Marxist books, and I have personally purchased books from CPI(M) and SUCI stalls. Attacking these stalls is wrong," said Ghosh. Stalls have allegedly been attacked in parts of Kolkata, including Entally and Jorabagan in North Kolkata, and Kulpi in South 24-Parganas, and Bijpur in North 24-Parganas.
Slamming the Left, Singh said: "They do not perform shradh rituals after the death of their parents. They will talk about Karl Marx and Lenin and sell their books here and create 'dimagi naxals'. They harm the nation and want to divide it; they cannot be allowed in India. Their bookstalls cannot be allowed." However, a division Bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday stayed the single Bench's Thursday order which allowed the temporary bookstalls to be set up. CM Suvendu Adhikari had previously urged Puja pandals to disallow the CPI(M) from setting up their bookstalls if they used the term "Saradutsav" (autumn festival) to describe Durga Puja.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.